No contest plea in hit-and-run death

<p>A Petaluma woman pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge for not immediately alerting authorities last year after her car struck a man walking along Highway 116.</p><p>Georgia Argyle, 61, wasn't required to attend the hearing because the charge is a misdemeanor. She entered her plea through her attorney, Marie Case.</p><p>Argyle's car struck Benjamin Thornton, 45, of Sebastopol on May 29 on a dark stretch of highway near Stony Point Road, the CHP said.</p><p>Argyle told authorities she pulled over to search for what she initially thought was a bicyclist but was unable to see anything in the darkness.</p><p>She called authorities the following morning, and Thornton's body was discovered in tall grass and weeds not immediately visible from the traffic lanes. A coroner's report said he died moments after being struck.</p><p>The law requires drivers involved in an accident that causes injury to another person to stop immediately and provide assistance. If death results, the driver must report the accident to law enforcement "without delay" if there is no police officer at the scene.</p><p>Thornton was a 1980 graduate and track team runner from Analy High School. He was developmentally disabled but lived independently most of his life, his family said. The night he died, he was walking home after having met friends in Rohnert Park.</p><p>Argyle's plea, the legal equivalent of guilty, exposes her to a sentence between 90 days and one year in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.</p><p>Thornton's parents said they will make a statement at Argyle's sentencing, which is set for March 7.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 568-5312 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.</p>